Over hundreds of students assembled at the Baab-e-Syed gate of the Aligarh Muslim University campus on Thursday and sat on an indefinite strike.

Situation still tense at AMU; police, RAF deployed to maintain law and order (IE)

Over hundreds of students assembled at the Baab-e-Syed gate of the Aligarh Muslim University campus on Thursday and sat on an indefinite strike demanding stern action against alleged Hindu Yuva Vahini protesters who had targetted the varstiy over the presence of a potrait of Muhammad Ali Jinnah inside the students’ union hall. The protests had triggered clashes on Wednesday leaving around 20 people injured in police action.

The students union, AMUSU, has alleged that the violence was a “deliberate and pre-planned attempt” to attack former vice president Hamid Ansari. “Our protest will continue indefinitely till the police take action against those who were actually targeting the former vice president who had come to the AMU where he was to be granted a life membership of the Students’ Union,” AMUSU said in a statement.

The President of the students union, Mashkoor Ahmad Usmani, who was injured during Wednesday’s clash, said they would likely to approach National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) if the state government closes all its door, reported PTI.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson of the University has condemned the “trespassing” of the university boundary by Hindu Yuva Vahini (HYV) activists who were raising “highly objectionable and inflammatory slogans”.

“We hope that the state government will take strong action against the Hindu Yuva Vahini youths who deliberately tried to disturb the peace on the university campus,” the official told PTI.

The AMU Teachers’ Association also held an emergency meeting last night and demanded that a First Information Report (FIR) be lodged against the accused HYV members.

Following Wednesday’s violence, the district administration has deployed heavy police personnel with a contingent of Rapid Action Force (RAF) to maintain the law and order.

Earlier in the day, breaking his silence in the ongoing controversy related to the presence of Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s portrait inside the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that the man who was behind the partition of India can’t be given a place of respect in India. The CM said that he has sought a detailed report from the university management and assured that he will look into the matter.

The CM said that it has to be investigated that under what circumstances it was done. He said that the AMU is a central university and that the matter shall be probed thoroughly. He said that the report is expected to be submitted to him by today or tomorrow.

“Jinnah ka samman Bharat ke andar nahi ho sakta hai. Vibhajan ka karan Jinnah hai. (Jinnah can’t be given respect in India. He is responsible for the partition),” he said in an interview to India Today.

The comments came after a massive controversy erupted over Aligarh BJP MP Satish Gautam’s letter to the AMU seeking an explanation over the university displaying Jinnah’s picture within the campus. Yesterday, clashes broke out between AMU students and activists of right-wing groups who entered the university campus demanding removal of Jinnah’s portrait.

The portrait which is at the centre of row is hanging on a wall of the varsity’s student’s union hall. The AMU has said that Jinnah’s portrait was installed in 1938 when he was honoured with lifetime membership of the student union. It added that no controversy should be seen here because it was done much before the partition of India in 1947.